ESAF Small Finance Bank

ESAF Small Finance Bank (ESAF SFB) the new age social bank continues to redefine the banking experience to all the stakeholders. We primarily focus on expanding the banking horizon to new unbanked/underbanked area, yet we stand as a bank for all with presence in urban, semi urban, rural and rural unbanked areas. ESAF started it’s journey as an NGO during the year 1992, with a larger vision of sustainable and holistic transformation of the poor and the marginalized. The success of Grameen Bank in Bangladesh reinforced the vision of Shri. K. Paul Thomas the Founder of ESAF. In 1995, he launched Micro Enterprises Development (MED) services and it resulted in the formation of ESAF Microfinance and Investments Pvt. Ltd., in 2008, giving importance of financial component in holistic economic development of the poor and marginalized. ESAF Microfinance and Investments Pvt. Ltd. was one of the pioneers in establishing a formal and structured form of lending through forming mutually trusted groups at the village level that could not only bring financial sustainability but also reinforced the fact that ‘the poor of our country are trustworthy’. In the remote and unbanked/under banked regions of the country, ESAF could cultivate a culture of financial discipline and also improved the workers participation rate as women too joined the workforce or started some income generation activity that could financially support their household. Financial literacy mission started by ESAF could not only bring know-how on how to spend wisely but also secure the future. ESAF has adopted a unique social business strategy, with a triple bottom line approach, emphasizing on People, Planet and Prosperity. The following are some of the highlights: -For every rupee invested in ESAF, studies by international agencies revealed that the Social Return on Investment stood at Rs. 3.19. -Some of the other changes brought about by ESAF are women’s access to employment, contribution to household income, access to and control over household resources, participation in household financial decision-making etc. -ESAF could also gather a carbon offset of 20 million tones in the international market.